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Katharina (Harder) Janzen in 1929
My great-grandmother Katharina Janzen, nee Harder [GM #421285] (Янцен Екатерина Абрамовна), was born on June 4th, 1895, (presumably) in Rosenort, Molotschna region, to a family of Abraham and Justina Harder. Katharina had five siblings who made it through the early years: brothers Abraham and Johannes, sisters Justina Agnes, Maria, and Bertha. The other four siblings died in infancy or teenage.
The family moved to Crimea in ca. 1897—1898 but returned to Rosenort a couple of years later, in 1900. Katharina’s father Abraham bought a house in Grossweide and turned it into an orphanage in 1906 (1).
Katharina married Jakob Janzen on June 6, 1918, and their first child, Abraham, was born in March 1919 (2).
As the young family left Jakob’s father’s house in Kitay, they started living in Tschongrav (Chongrav). Their daughter Frieda was born there, presumably on November 22, 1920. The next year, the family had another son, Hans, who died in infancy (3).
Since 1922, Jakob has been earning his living through farming.
Helena Janzen (sitting) and Katharina Harder (standing) in 1917
The family resided in a rented place in Topalovka for a couple of years, and their son, Peter, was presumably born there on September 23, 1923.
Later, the family moved to their house in Spat, where their daughter, Anna, was born on January 26, 1926.
Abraham and Justina Harder and their children and grandchildren on 13 June 1924 at the Grossweide orphanage. Jakob and Katharina Janzen sit on the right with their kids. Mennonite Heritage Archive, CA MHC PP-2 Photos 497-124.0
In 1927 Jakob was disenfranchised and deprived of the property for the first time. The family was sent to Borangar village. A couple of months later, Jakob managed to restore his rights, return to Spat, and reclaim his property. In 1928, the family welcomed another son, Gerhard.
On May 16, 1931, the Bolsheviks disenfranchised Jakob for the second time and sentenced him and his family to be sent to a special settlement.
May 16, 1931, marked the last time little Gerhard was listed as a family member. There is no trace of him in any subsequent documents. Presumably, he died on the way or in the initial days of the exile.
On May 26, 1931, the family arrived at the Kasskoe settlement in the Arkhangelsk region. Later that year, on October 25, 1931, my grandmother Elena was born.
Jakob and Katharina maintained constant correspondence with Abraham and Helena Harder who lived in Germany then. Due to the almost unbearable living conditions at Kasskoe, the Harders regularly sent goods and money to the Janzens. Eventually, this correspondence became the reason for initiating an investigative case against Jakob. He was arrested at Kasskoe on January 17, 1933.
The same day Katharina wrote about it to her father Abraham and the rest of the family in Crimea, and a few days later she also wrote to her brother Abraham. Both letters were intercepted by the OGPU and ended up in Jakob’s investigative case as evidence. On March 25, 1933, Jakob was sentenced to 5 years in a labor camp.
The letters written by Katharina Janzen to her relatives in Crimea and Germany right after her husband Jakob was arrested in January 1933
On October 16, 1933, Katharina wrote to local authorities in Crimea requesting to sent her back home as she was barely surviving at the special settlement with five underaged children without the support of her husband. Her request was denied.
Katharina Janzen with her children, September 29, 1934. Left to right: Anna, Abraham, Leni, Katharina, Frieda, Peter.
In February 1942 Katharina’s son Peter was arrested and sentenced to 6 years of labor camp. In March 1942 three of Katharina’s children (Abraham, Frieda, and Anna) were mobilized into the labor army. My grandmother Elena was underaged and therefore stayed with her mother.
In 1946 Katharina and Elena were moved to Pokhvistnevo, Kuybyshev region, where they reunited with Frieda and Anna. Peter was released from the labor camp the same year and also joined the family there.
In 1948 Katharina and four of her children (Frieda, Peter, Anna, and Elena) moved to Borovsk, Molotov region, to reunite with her oldest son, Abraham.
Katharina and four of her children in Borovsk, Molotov region, on November 28, 1949. First row, left to right: Katharina, Elena. Second row, left to right: Peter, Anna, Abraham.
In 1954 the whole family was deregistered from the special settlement.
On April 14, 1962, Katharina died in Borovsk, Molotov region.
On May 12, 1997, Katharina was rehabilitated by Ukraine on deportation in 1931.
On August 2, 2019, Katharina was rehabilitated by Russia on deportation, labor army, and national repression.
(1) Abraham A. Harder on GAMEO
(2) Anna (Epp) Ens, The House of Heinrich: The story of Heinrich Epp (1811-1863), (Winnipeg, Man.: Epp Book Committee, 1980), p. 252.
(3) Ibid.
